Written by orange• August 12, 2024• 7:30 pm• Mission Viejo, Musical, Review, Uncategorized, Z Playhouse

Little Women: The Musical @ Z Playhouse – Review

photo credit: Sophie Matossian

Written by Daniella Litvak

Some stories never get old. Little Women is one of them. Louisa May Alcott’s beloved novel has spawned numerous adaptations for the screen and stage. Little Women (the musical) debuted on Broadway in 2005. Now it’s in Orange County at Z Playhouse.

Little Women (the musical) opens with Jo March (Brianna Graves) living in a New York City boarding house. The Civil War ended not too long ago. She is struggling to make a career as a writer. Upon receiving critical feedback about her stories from fellow boarder, Professor Bhaer (Levi Montoya), Jo begins reflecting on her childhood adventures back home in Concord, Massachusetts, during the war with her sisters Meg (Rachel Girardet), Beth (Rachael Valdez), Amy (Sammy Spiegler) and Laurie (James Studebaker), the boy next door. Although they vow to remain “five forever,” it is not so simple as the forces of love, illness and the inevitable march towards adulthood test their bonds to one another.

From Left: Sammy Spiegler, Rachel Girardet, Brianna Graves and Rachael Validez (Photo by Sophie Matossian)

Story:

Although compressed and restructured, Little Women the musical recognizably tells the story of Little Women. The March sisters retain their central characteristics. Jo is headstrong and spirited. Meg is a proper lady dreaming of romance. Beth is too good for this sinful Earth. And Amy is the youngest, whose yearnings to be included in her older sisters’ activities and for the finer things in life get her into trouble. The main plot events, such as Amy burning Jo’s manuscript, Jo butting heads with Aunt March (Laura Camastro), Beth’s fate, and so on, occur. However, many important events are mentioned as happening offstage, which adds to the disjointed feel. The first act could have been better-paced as it ran on the long side.

All four March sisters are important characters, but Jo is unquestionably the main character. Little Women, the musical is even more Jo-centric. Meg and Amy’s stories come off as truncated. How Amy’s story is portrayed towards the end raises interesting questions about the sincerity of her and Laurie’s actions. The show does a good job of developing the relationships between pairs of characters: Jo and Beth, Jo and Laurie, Meg and John (Carson Roman), etc. It does suffer a bit in the core dynamic of the sisters and Laurie. The importance of it is talked about more than it is shown, which weakens the climax. That said, the musical number where they pledge fellowship to one another, “Five Forever,” was a highlight.

Acting:

Graves absolutely has Jo’s famous colt-like energy. She dashes and leaps about the stage throughout the entire show. Her singing is equally energetic. Studebaker also delivered a powerful vocal performance. As Marmee, the March matriarch, Kathy Villanueva was tender, and her vocals were effective. The various pairs of characters had good chemistry together. Meg and John’s romance was dreamy. Jo and Laurie were fun. The surrogate father-daughter relationship between Beth and Mr. Laurence (Jason Stout) tugged at your heart.

Costumes:

The costumes suited the story. The outfits for the Valentine’s dance provided some chuckles. Perhaps, though, it could have been pushed further for bigger laughs. Including an onstage depiction of Jo’s “Operatic Tragedy” added a nice variety to the looks.